Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Friday, 29 April 2022

BBC News

• Greater Manchester mayor's bid to take control of railway stationsAndy Burnham says key stations in Manchester and Salford are
• South London Arriva bus drivers set to strike over payArriva drives who are members of the Unite union are set to hold 24-hour and 48-hour strikes.
• Elon Musk sells almost $4bn worth of Tesla sharesIt comes as the electric car maker's chief executive moves ahead with his $44bn takeover of Twitter.

Financial Times

• EasyJet pilots accuse airline of ‘corporate bullying’ on sick leaveCarrier under fire over handling of staff absences as it faces wave of disruption and cancellations

Times Online

• Pay rise? You should have worked harder at school, says Network Rail boss [subscription]Network Rail has been accused of insulting workers after a manager defended high salaries for senior staff as proof that others “should have probably worked harder at school”.

The National [Wales]

• Engineer Gareth Dennis shows possible north to south Wales rail linkA railway engineer has put forward ambitious plans to redesign the Welsh rail network.

Network Rail

• Watch: Major progress on Transpennine Route Upgrade in Manchester

Birmingham Post

• Andy Burnham reveals plans to take control of all train stations in ManchesterThe Mayor of Greater Manchester also said the city centre stations have not seen substantial investment for decades
• Humber ports expansion profiled as offshore wind demands growABP is exploring further options for Port of Hull while identifying space for more operations and maintenance in Grimsby

Northern Echo

• Parts of Sunderland train station to close to make way for £32m projectTHE entrance of a North East rail station will be closed from next week as major work get underway to transform the main transport hub in what will be a multi-million pound renovation.

Wales Online

• 'Atrocious', 'sell it': What readers said about Cardiff Airport's devastating passenger numbersFigures out this week showed that Cardiff Airport served just 123,000 passengers last year. That compares to 2.08m for Bristol, 6.2m for Gatwick and 19.3m for Heathrow.

Other Regional Press

• ‘Tap on Tap off’ contactless payment launched on Arriva Buses Wales fleetA ‘Tap On-Tap Off’ contactless payment scheme has been launched on Arriva buses across the region.
• Transport for Wales- more trains for Fishguard, Tenby, Pembroke DockMore train services are planned for Pembrokeshire stations as of next month.
• £106m A40 revamp to go ahead despite Oxfordshire County Council reservationsThe 'smart corridor' upgrade was proposed by the former administration, and will go ahead despite the current council leadership opposing it
• MP COLUMN: Progress is being made on improving transport linksThis week’s column has a transport theme. Good transport links are essential for residents to be able to get to work and enjoy their leisure time.
• North-east MSP blasts 'broken promise' over Aberdeen train timesIn 2008, then-Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson vowed to spend £200 million on the Aberdeen line but it was revealed last year that only £1.68 million had been tolled out in 13 years.
• Arriva buses avoiding Watford High Street stops because of bollardsA bus operator has been avoiding Watford High Street because its vehicles are getting 'trapped' by faulty bollards.
• Jaguar Land Rover announces plans for new innovation hub in the MidlandsThe new facility forms part of the Coventry car maker’s new Open Innovation strategy

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Wrightbus eyes European expansionFormer-BYD employee becomes new European Chief Commercial Officer for expansion in Europe
• CPT urges coach fuel duty reliefAs fuel prices remain high in the UK, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has called on Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to introduce a fuel duty relief package of £260m for coaches to place the sector on level footing with the rail industry.

Coach and Bus Week

• Prime Minister praises Switch investment during trade visit to IndiaPrime Minister Boris Johnson praised Switch Mobility and its investment in the UK and India during his recent trade visit to India. As part of his visit to Delhi and Gujarat, the Prime Minister took the opportunity to highlight Switch as an example of a business strengthening bilateral trade between the countries, with Switch confirming its plans to invest £300m across the UK and India to develop its range of electric buses and light commercial vehicles.
• Flixbus expands with new South West connectionsFlixbus’ mission to ‘paint the world green’ moved a step closer this month with the introduction of further routes and partnerships on its UK coach network
• Stagecoach autonomous bus begins on-road testingTesting of the UK’s first full-size autonomous bus on public roads is taking place from for two weeks from 25 April, with passenger services planned to go live in late summer

New Civil Engineer

• Pointing to positivity: why civils looks set for growthLooking back to our November 2021 Forecast, it was clear that, while the UK construction sector was operating in a tough economic climate the green shoots of recovery were starting to appear.
• Network Rail replaces Manchester bridges ahead of Transpennine Route Upgrade electrificationNetwork Rail has reported that it has made “major progress” on the £3bn Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), having replaced two bridges to make way for the overhead electric wires.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Integrated Rail Plan to focus on driving forward capacity, not just speedThe Transport Secretary Grant Shapps recently sat down with the Transport Select Committee to discuss and answer questions on his job performance so far. A large chunk of this committee hearing focused on the railway industry, with the Integrated Rail Plan, the plan for rail and HS2’s progression being a core theme for the questioning. Shapps was accompanied by the secretary at the Department for Transport; Bernadette Kelly, with each providing key information about the progression of the projects.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Irizar delivers customised i8 integral ‘Blodbussen’ to DenmarkIrizar has delivered a multi-mode i8 integral ‘Blodbussen’ to the Syddanmark region of Denmark, where it will serve the purpose of promoting and facilitating blood donation in multiple locations. 
• Asset Alliance Group strengthens coach and bus funding teamCommercial vehicle funding specialist Asset Alliance Group has strengthened its coach and bus division with two appointments.
• April marks busy time for coach sector as work ramps upA busy Easter bank holiday weekend and the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 16 April has led coach operators to reveal that business is up in March, with strong signs for a good summer season, despite concerns about costs and staff availability.
• Imperial Engineering helping industry that provides critical infrastructure to UK economyPublic transport will play a key role if the UK is successful in cutting harmful emissions, according to Imperial Engineering, a supplier of coach and bus parts to the industry for over 50 years.
• Nat Ex revenue back to 2019 levels; ‘rapid recovery’ in coachNational Express Group has revealed in its latest trading update (for the period 1 January-31 March) that Group revenue has returned to 2019 levels, with the seventh quarterly improvement and revenue up 30% year on year.
• Bus network review work focuses on life after revenue supportGuidance on the bus network review process in England, required by the terms and conditions of Bus Recovery Grant (BRG) Extension funding, has been published.

Aviation Industry

• Exclusive: how ambitious are the emissions targets of companies in the airport services industry?We have analysed the emissions reduction targets of 1,138 companies to find out which are leading the way, and which are lagging on their commitments.

Other News Sources

• Personal electric transport business opens lithium-ion storage facility in Wales with £250,000 investmentEcoMove Group has opened a lithium-ion battery collection and storage facility on Leeway Industrial Estate, Newport as part of a UK-wide expansion strategy. 
• Exhausted bus groups face emissions challengeDiesel buses are nearing the end of the road, and a ‘golden age’ of public transport beckons. But can companies afford to go green after two years of pandemic pain?
• Will E-mobility charger stations be critical to transport modal shift?E-mobility is riding a wave which has gained significant momentum in the past two years. Investment in bicycles is coming from all directions: Motor manufacturers, Investment funds, and government backed initiatives spanning urban planning and active transport, motivated by clean air quality and Net Zero obligations.
• Southern Rail train cleaners begin 11-day strikeTRAIN cleaners have begun an 11-day strike over pay.